Camilla Jessen
Peace talks may be back on the table, but analysts say Putin’s real game is targeting not just Ukraine, but the U.S.
As Russian and Ukrainian negotiators prepare for a possible meeting in Istanbul, many are asking the same question: What does Vladimir Putin really want?
According to The Moscow Times, the answer may have less to do with peace and more to do with strategy.
While the talks could mark the first official meeting between the two countries since early in the war, analysts argue it’s Russia—not Ukraine—who stands to gain from simply showing up.
Accepting talks without agreeing to a ceasefire allows Moscow to keep up its military pressure, while appearing diplomatic on the world stage.
The Russian army will keep attacking,” said Alexander Baunov of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. “That way, they combine bombs with diplomacy—pushing Ukraine harder at the negotiating table.
Zelensky Calls for Direct Talks, Putin Stays Quiet
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he’ll only attend if Putin does. Otherwise, he believes it’s just a performance.
His adviser, Mykhailo Podoliak, called negotiations with lower-ranking Russian officials “meaningless.”
But for the Kremlin, that might be the point.
According to Baunov, Russia’s goal isn’t a deal with Ukraine—it’s to buy time, keep pressure off the battlefield, and calm Russian citizens who still back the war.
It also sets up a political chess move aimed at U.S. President Donald Trump, who recently said he’d join the talks only if both sides were serious.
Putin vs. the U.S.
Experts say Putin doesn’t believe Zelensky will agree to his terms—and that’s just fine with him.
Tatiana Stanovaia, head of the R.Politik analysis group, says the Kremlin is using the talks to stall Western arms shipments and exploit Ukraine’s internal challenges.
Putin wants to make Zelensky look weak and isolated,” she explained. “He also wants to pressure Ukraine into lifting its ban on talks with Russia, which would be a big win for him politically.
Former Russian diplomat Boris Bondarev, who quit in protest of the invasion, took it even further.
“Putin doesn’t need talks with Zelensky. This war is about fighting the U.S. through Ukraine,” he posted on X.
In his view, any talks are really aimed at confusing Washington and tricking Trump into thinking Putin wants peace.
Even Hardliners Warn Against a Zelensky Meeting
Inside Russia, not everyone is on board with a direct Putin-Zelensky meeting.
Nationalist Igor Ghirkin, a former commander of pro-Russian separatists, said it would be “disastrous.” He argued that Russia can’t meet with Zelensky without contradicting its own claims that Ukraine has no legitimate leadership.
But rejecting a meeting has its own risks.
“If Russia refuses to show up, it will look like they sabotaged their own peace plan,” Ghirkin warned on Telegram.
That could bring more sanctions from the West—and even more support for Ukraine.
In the end, analysts say this moment isn’t about peace at all.
It’s about pressure, optics, and keeping the world guessing. And if Putin has his way, it’s also about making sure Trump is one of the people left most confused.